12-year-old in Texas ruled too big to play football

Elijah Earnheart, a 12-year-old boy in Texas who stands more than 6feet tall and weighs nearly 300 pounds, has been told that he's too bigto play pee-wee football.

According to MyFoxDFW.com,Elijah practiced for three weeks with the Mesquite Vikings, but at apreseason weigh-in Sunday he was told that he's too big and isn'tallowed to play in the league and must play in the school league withplayers older than him.

The league's president says the rule is any seventh-grader more than 135 pounds is barred.

"Idon't want to play in school right now because it's people that's hadexperience and I want to get some experience first and then startplaying," Elijah said. "I just want to play because my teammates are myfriends. I know them. I don't want to go play for somebody else I don'tknow."

Elijah's mother Cindy said the ruling has really upset her son, and she plans to protest.

"Forhim to come home and just cry and go to his room and say, 'I give up.'I'm not going to let him give up. This is his dream. This is what hewants to do. And I'm going to make it happen," she said.

Mesquite Pee-Wee Football Association President Ronnie Henderson said a few other players were barred for the same reason.

"Thecoach over there should have known this. He's been told this. He'sbeen to our meetings. He knows this," Henderson said. "I don't knowwhere the misunderstanding was. We hate it. I don't like it for the kidor the parents."